Betty Boop and Nancy Drew Enter Public Domain

Iconic characters including Betty Boop and Miss Marple are entering the public domain as several significant American copyrights expire on January 1, 2026.Legal expert Jennifer Jenkins noted that the release of these 1930s works marks the end of a long intellectual property drought caused by previous congressional extensions.The 2026 cohort includes the first Nancy Drew books, George Gershwin compositions, and classic films like "All Quiet on the Western Front" and the Marx Brothers' "Animal Crackers."